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CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT RISES FROM OCTOBER 2017 TO OCTOBER 2018 IN 44 STATES AND D.C.; 36 STATES, D.C. ADD CONSTRUCTION JOBS SINCE SEPTEMBER

November 16, 2018

Texas Has Biggest Annual Job Increase While New Jersey Continues Losses; Iowa, Florida and California Have Largest One-Month Gains as Mississippi and Louisiana Trail

Forty-four states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between October 2017 and October 2018, while 36 states and D.C. added construction jobs between September and October, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials said that firms in most parts of the country are adding staff to keep pace with growing demand for construction, but cautioned that rising labor and materials costs could undermine future demand.

“Construction activity continues to expand at a steady clip, with employment growing by more than ten percent during the past year in five states and by more than five percent in another 18 states,” said chief economist Ken Simonson. “As contractors pay more for labor and most of the materials they use to build, construction costs will climb, potentially dampening future demand for their services.”

Texas added the most construction jobs during the past year (49,900 jobs, 6.9 percent). Other states adding a large number of new construction jobs for the past 12 months include Florida (43,400 jobs, 8.5 percent), California (30,000 jobs, 3.6 percent), Georgia (21,600 jobs, 11.6 percent), Arizona (18,000 jobs, 12.1 percent) and New York (15,600 jobs, 4.1 percent). Arizona added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Georgia, Nevada (11.4 percent, 9,500 jobs), Oregon (10.5 percent, 10,400 jobs), New Hampshire (10.3 percent, 2,800 jobs) and Florida. Construction employment reached a record high in five states: Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

From September to October, construction employment declined in 12 states and was unchanged in Connecticut and Maine. Louisiana lost the most construction jobs (-1,900 jobs, -1.3 percent), followed by Oklahoma (-900 jobs, -1.2 percent) and Michigan (-900 jobs, -0.5 percent). Mississippi lost the highest percentage of construction jobs in October (-1.6 percent, -700 jobs), followed by Montana (-1.4 percent, -400 jobs), Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Association officials said widespread construction employment gains are a sign of strong demand for construction services in most parts of the country. But they cautioned that without new investments in career and technical education, immigration reform and swift resolution of trade disputes, labor and materials costs will continue to climb.

“Firms in many parts of the country are hiring as fast as they can find qualified workers to bring onboard just to keep pace with demand,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “But at some point, the increasing costs of labor and construction materials are going to drive construction prices to the point where many customers reschedule or rethink their projects.”

View the state employment data by rank, state and peaks. View the state employment map.

Constructor Magazine

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the leading association for the construction industry. AGC represents more than 26,000 firms, including over 6,500 of America’s leading general contractors, and over 9,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 10,500 service providers and suppliers are also associated with AGC, all through a nationwide network of chapters.